If you are a hearing aid user, you definitely know how important it is in improving your sense of hearing and general quality of life. What most people may not know, however, is that other accessories can be acquired to help enhance the listening experience further. In this blog post, we will look into various hearing aids accessories and how they can complement your hearing aid device.

What are hearing aids accessories?

These are devices or tools that complement the hearing aids. Hearing aids accessories benefit a person in many ways, such as improvement of sound quality, connectivity, and convenience. Looking to stream audio directly from your smartphone or looking to improve your speech to reduce background noise? There is an accessory for you.

Types of Hearing Aids Accessories

  1. Wireless Accessories

Wireless accessories connect your hearing aids directly to your TV, smartphone, or MP3 player. These devices broadcast the audio signal to your hearing instruments via Bluetooth technology, thereby improving connectivity and making the listening experience more immersive. Some popular wireless accessories are:

  • TV Streamers: These are small devices connected to your TV that feed audio directly into your hearing aids. Now you'll be able to understand movies, shows, and live events much more clearly.
  • Phone Clips: You wear phone clips on your clothing. Using a microphone, they pick up the voice of the party on the other end and feed it directly into your hearing aids during phone calls.
  • Remote Controls: Wireless remote controls permit volume adjustments from a distance, program changes, and other changes in the hearing aid settings without actually having to touch the aids.
  1. Assistive Listening Devices

Called assistive listening devices, these devices help to facilitate better hearing conditions within rooms of many people or in places with a high background noise. This would work in devices that increase the volume of desired sound—for example, a speaker's voice—while lessening background noise.

Examples of ALDs include:

- Microphones: These can be placed at source, for example a speaker or a television, and transmit directly into your hearing aids.

- Neck loops: These are worn around the neck, picking up a signal from telecoil devices to send clear and direct audio when using a phone or a PA system.

  1. After-service accessories: cleaning and maintenance

Proper care will keep your hearing aids in the best condition. This will ensure that your set of hearing aid cleaning accessories and maintenance works to keep them clean and at their best.

Some of these useful cleaning and maintenance accessories include:

Cleaning Kits: Most of the kits include a brush, a pick, and a wax loop that help clear out wax and other debris from your devices.

Drying Kits: These kits utilize desiccant beads or UV light to draw out moisture and avoid corrosion, shortening your hearing aids' lifespan.

Storage Cases: Storage cases give complete security to your devices when not in use and further save them from damage or loss.

Benefits of Using Hearing Aids Accessories

There are many ways that hearing aids accessories can be of help to you, including:

  1. Improvement of Sound Quality: This may include the wireless streaming devices—TV streamers and remote microphones—that optimize clarity and volume of the audio you hear, and hence enhance speech intelligibility and the overall enjoyment of music and other entertainment.
  2. Improved Connection: The availability of the accessory that wirelessly connects the hearing aid to cell phones or other sound devices improves communication and ensures that you are connected with your family and loved ones.
  3. Greater Convenience: Remote Controls, etc. provide the control over hearing aids, while still in the ear, thus saving lots of times and energy of the user.
  4. Greater Listening in Noisy Settings: An assistive listening device can help a person hear a speaker more clearly when he is, for instance on the subway, in a crowded restaurant, at a place of worship, sitting in a distance from the television, while the dishwasher or vacuum cleaner is on, or when his teacher is speaking from far distances like in a large auditorium.
  5. Extended Life for Your Hearing Aid: If you take proper care of your hearing aid with cleaning and care accessories, you can reduce the need for audiological visits due to malfunctioning hearing aids and ultimately extend the life of your aid.

How to choose the right Accessories for Hearing Aids

While choosing hearing aids accessories, the following considerations should be made:

  1. Compatibility: Just make sure that the accessories you are getting are compatible with your brand and model of hearing aids. You can check this up with your audiologist or even the manufacturer.
  2. Lifestyle: Look at your daily lifestyle and intent of use of the instruments—opt for accessories that help serve your purpose or preference.
  3. Budget: Make a budget for the purchase of hearing aid accessories to make sure that you have value for your money.
  4. Convenience: Buy those accessories that can easily be installed and also their use is simple, especially if you are having a hard time with dexterity or a reduced vision.

Conclusion

Hearing aid accessories can enhance your hearing experience and make your life better in a lot of ways. From staying in touch and enjoying entertainment to hearing properly for optimized communication in noisy environments, there is so much more to get from life.

So remember to consult with their audiologist before choosing hearing aid accessories. With the right accessories, your hearing aids can significantly improve. Visit our website to learn more about hearing aid accessories that can provide a better listening experience. Get better sound, enjoy more and better connection, and improve hearing in more difficult environments.